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The lines between being a socialite and celebrity with an exuberant partying lifestyle have since become blurred due to the influence of both popular culture and the media, particularly when the status of being a celebrity is largely due to that lifestyle. In the 21st century, the term "socialite" is still attached to being wealthy and socially recognized. With the increase of wealth in the US in the 19th century, being a socialite developed into a role that brought power and influence. Mistresses had to pay for their social reputation and had to use their social skills to obtain favor in the court and retain the interest of their lovers. Bashful queens were often forced to play gracious and wealthy hostess to people who despised them. Most of the earliest socialites were wives or mistresses of royalty or nobility, but being a socialite was more a duty and a means of survival than a form of pleasure. The concept of socialites dates to the 18th and 19th century. In 1886, Louis Keller started to consolidate these lists and package them for sale. United States Īmerican members of the Establishment, or an American " society" based on birth, breeding, education, and economic standing, were originally listed in the Social Register, a directory of the names and addresses of the "preferred social contacts" of the prominent families in the 19th century. The television show Made in Chelsea has explored the lifestyles of young socialites living in London in the 21st century. The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea is widely regarded as the current home of socialite activity in the UK. Despite this, the notion of the Sloane ranger still emphasises many socialites' connections to Britain's ruling class. Since the 1960s, socialites have been drawn from a wider section of society more similar to the American model, with many socialites now coming from families in business or from the world of celebrity. Notable examples of British socialites include Beau Brummell, Lord Alvanley, the Marchioness of Londonderry, Daisy, Princess of Pless, Lady Diana Cooper, Mary Constance Wyndham, Lady Ursula d'Abo, Margaret Greville and the Mitford sisters. Many socialites also had strong familial or personal relationships to the British royal family.īetween the 17th and early 19th centuries, society events in London and at country houses were the focus of socialite activity.

Historically, socialites in the United Kingdom were almost exclusively from the families of the aristocracy and landed gentry. It was popularized by Time magazine in the 1920s. The word socialite is first attested in 1909 in a California newspaper.